Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway Holds 22nd River Sweep

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Shoreline cleanup takes place April 23 in honor of Earth Day

Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway’s 22nd annual River Sweep, a volunteer shoreline cleanup in celebration of Earth Day, will take place rain or shine Saturday, April 23, in Havre de Grace, Conowingo, Perryville, Port Deposit, Charlestown and on Garrett Island.

Check-in at meeting locations begins at 8:30 a.m., and River Sweep will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. To sign up as a volunteer, visit Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway’s website at www.UpperBayTrails.com. Volunteers who sign up in advance will receive lunch. Registration continues online through April 19.

Following is a listing of meeting locations:

Cecil County: Marina Park, 190 South Main Street, Port Deposit; Conowingo Community Park at Octoraro Creek, 1720 Susquehanna River Road, Conowingo; Conowingo Creek Boat Launch, 2 Mt. Zoar Road (Mt. Zoar Road and the water), Conowingo; Perryville Boat Launch/Garrett Island, 501 Roundhouse Drive, Perryville; Perryville Community Park, Marion Tapp Parkway, Perryville; Rodgers Tavern Museum, 259 Broad Street, Perryville; and Long Point, Conestoga Street, Charlestown.

Harford County:  Tydings Park, gazebo at Commerce Street, Havre de Grace; Susquehanna State Park, Deer Creek trestle bridge parking lot, Stafford Road, Havre de Grace; and Swan Harbor Farm, 401 Oakington Road, Havre de Grace.

River Sweep participants will fan out to spend the morning removing trash and other debris from the Upper Bay region, including the Chesapeake Bay, Susquehanna and North East rivers and their tributaries.

Those interested in volunteering on Garrett Island should bring their kayaks and canoes and meet at the Boat Launch in Perryville. Boaters are also welcome.

River Sweep volunteers are encouraged to wear old clothes (long sleeves and pants are recommended; shoes may get wet) and to bring work gloves.

“While we held a modified version of River Sweep the past two years because of the pandemic, we are so pleased to have it back at its usual time in April, in honor of Earth Day,” said Brigitte Carty, executive director of Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway. “River Sweep brings together so many members of our community who are dedicated to the work we do year in and year out. We are so appreciative of their ever present support as well as the generosity of our sponsors and community partners.”

Sponsors of the 2022 River Sweep include Constellation, Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Keep Maryland Beautiful, Maryland Environmental Trust, Forever-Maryland Foundation, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and Maryland Department of Transportation. Community partners include Cecil County, Harford County, Havre de Grace, Perryville and Port Deposit.

In addition, partial financial assistance has been provided for this project through the Cecil County VLT Local Community Grant Program, sponsored by the Cecil County Executive. This project also has been financed in part with state funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, project contents or opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.

Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway is a nonprofit, certified Maryland Heritage Area located in Harford and Cecil counties along the Lower Susquehanna River and Upper Bay. Its mission is to encourage regional economic development through heritage tourism primarily by supporting public recreation efforts, particularly trail development and public water access, historic preservation, cultural interpretation and conservation efforts.  For more information about Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway, visit www.UpperBayTrails.com.

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